Picking the 23-man U.S. World Cup roster (cont.)

SI.com staff

Midfielders

The return to form for Rangers midfielder Maurice Edu presents a selection dilemma for U.S. coach Bob Bradley. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Wahl: Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, Stuart Holden, Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber, Jose Torres, Alejandro Bedoya.

Seven of these eight would be on just about everyone's roster. That leaves one spot for several candidates: Bedoya, Sacha Kljestan, DaMarcus Beasley, Robbie Rogers and Freddy Adu. Faced with a tough call, I'd go with Bedoya, a player who's on the upswing these days in Sweden and could be a useful late-game sub.

Davis: Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Bradley, Feilhaber, Clark, Edu, Torres, Holden, Kljestan.

Kljestan's versatility and recent form put him on board. Holden is the closest thing this group has to a true winger. (Sorry, Robbie Rogers, you just never showed enough during ample opportunities.) Nine might sound like a lot, but consider that Donovan, Dempsey and Kljestan could all play as a forward.

Mravic: Donovan, Bradley, Edu, Holden, Torres, Clark, Feilhaber, Bedoya

I resisted the strong urge to include Freddy Adu; Torres and the promising Bedoya have been playing more regularly and provide adequate creativity off the bench.

Dohrmann: Bradley, Clark, Edu, Feilhaber, Donovan, Holden, Beasley, Torres, Bedoya, Rogers.

I believe the final roster spot should go to a promising player who isn't likely to get on the field in South Africa but who could figure prominently in the next cycle. It came down to Freddy Adu, Sacha Kljestan and Robbie Rogers, and Rogers has the superior mental makeup and the best combination of size and skill. Let him learn from the bench. Beasley's inclusion will surely rankle some, but he has World Cup experience.

Chang: Donovan, Dempsey, Holden, Bradley, Edu, Clark, Feilhaber, Torres, Bedoya.

It's at midfield where Bradley will likely face his most difficult cuts. I believe seven of the first nine listed should be certain of their spots, and while I would include both Torres and Bedoya, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see Bradley leave out one if not both for Beasley or Kljestan.

Forwards

Wahl: Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Brian Ching, Herculez Gomez.

I would at least bring Charlie Davies into the New Jersey camp and give him a chance to make the team and show he's at full strength. If he's not, then my front-line pairing against England would be Dempsey and Altidore. If Ching can show he's recovered from his hamstring injury, I would take him as well. If he isn't, then I'd probably go with Edson Buddle. As for Gomez, he tied for the golden boot in the Mexican League, a league that (at the moment) is far better than MLS. Given how thin the U.S. front line is, that's easily enough for me to include him.

Davis: Altidore, Buddle, Eddie Johnson, Brian McBride.

I just don't see Charlie Davies being at a point where he can reasonably be expected to contribute. McBride would not be a candidate to start. But he would be a late option for desperate times; he looked pretty good earlier this year when brought in for a similar role for Chicago. (Yes, he has retired internationally. But he would surely ride in to the rescue if his country called.)

Mravic: Altidore, Dempsey, Ching, Buddle.

In Davies' absence, Dempsey is by far the best choice to pair with Altidore. Ching gets the call for his experience and because, as Bob Bradley noted in his recent media roundtable, he's a decent complementary player to Altidore. And I'm giving the Herculez Gomez/Edson Buddle battle to the Galaxy striker as a nod to MLS.

Dohrmann: Dempsey, Altidore, Davies.

Forget Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez. Their club success isn't likely to transfer to the World Cup, and they have little national team experience. Davies isn't 100 percent, but I'd take him anyway for morale and to chase the ball late in games. A case can be made for Brian Ching (whom Bradley will surely select if he's healthy), Conor Casey and others, but if either Dempsey or Altidore is unavailable, the U.S. is better switching to a 4-5-1 and utilizing the team's midfield depth than turning to a lesser talent who just happens to be a striker.

Chang: Altidore, Ching, Gomez.

I expect Charlie Davies to be called up to camp and given a final chance to prove he's in game shape for South Africa. If he fails the test, the sensible choice is Gomez as a direct replacement and Ching as the target forward option. Altidore is obviously assured of his place, and with Dempsey and Donovan both able to play forward, it makes more sense to take an extra midfielder.

Roster choices

Wahl: Let's be honest: No matter which players are the final cuts from the U.S.' 23-man World Cup roster this month, not one of them will be able to say it was an injustice. (This isn't Brazil, which will probably go to South Africa without players like Diego, Neymar and Ronaldinho.) Only four or five U.S. roster slots are up for argument, and they aren't starting spots anyway.

Goalkeepers (3) -- Howard, Hahnemann, Guzan.

Defenders (8) -- Bocanegra, Onyewu, DeMerit, Spector, Cherundolo, Hejduk, Goodson, Bornstein.

Midfielders (8) -- Donovan, Bradley, Edu, Holden, Clark, Feilhaber, Torres, Bedoya.

Forwards (4) -- Dempsey, Altidore, Ching, Gomez.

Davis:

Goalkeepers (3) -- Howard, Hahnemann, Guzan.

Defenders (7) -- Onyewu, Bocanegra, Cherundolo, DeMerit, Spector, Bornstein, Goodson.

Midfielders (9) -- Donovan, Dempsey, Bradley, Feilhaber, Clark, Edu, Torres, Holden, Kljestan.

Forwards (4) -- Altidore, Buddle, Johnson, McBride.

Mravic:

Goalkeepers (3) -- Howard, Hahnemann, Guzan.

Defenders (8) -- Bocanegra, DeMerit, Onyewu, Cherundolo, Spector, Castillo, Marshall, Bornstein.

Midfielders (8) -- Donovan, Bradley, Edu, Holden, Clark, Feilhaber, Torres, Bedoya.

Forwards (4) -- Dempsey, Altidore, Ching, Buddle.

Dohrmann:

Goalkeepers (3): Howard, Guzan, Hahnemann.

Defenders (7) -- Bocanegra, Onyewu, DeMerit, Goodson, Spector, Cherundolo, Bornstein.

Midfielders (10) -- Bradley, Clark, Edu, Feilhaber, Donovan, Holden, Beasley, Torres, Bedoya, Rogers.

Forwards (3) -- Dempsey, Altidore, Davies.

Chang:

Goalkeepers (3): Howard, Guzan, Hahnemann.

Defenders (8) -- Cherundolo, Onyewu, DeMerit, Bocanegra, Hejduk, Castillo, Marshall, Spector.

Midfielders (9) -- Donovan, Dempsey, Holden, Bradley, Edu, Clark, Feilhaber, Torres, Bedoya.

Forwards (3) -- Altidore, Ching, Gomez.